Japanese Hair Dye is awesome

So I recently dyed my hair after many years of celibacy, and I thought it turned out pretty well. Sorry I didn't take a better picture with my hair down...and the comical face-off operation on the picture is because I only want to show my hair color and not my terrible-looking face...

Anyway, I just wanted to review the Japanese Hair Dye here. The brand I bought is Palty and it has many wonderful subtle shades of brown. Mine was Juicy Peach and it has more reddish tones in it. My main motivation for dying my hair is because my black hair was getting way too shiny and looked greasy a lot of the time. That started to happen ever since a water filter system (the big kind) got installed in chibi's home. The water is silkier and my hair became less dry. But since it was just nice before, "less dry" is equivalent to more oily!!!

So my ingenious plan was to color my hair so that (1) chemical treatment might change the oily composition of my scalp at least temporarily, (2) a lighter shade than black will make my hair look more vibrant with more volume and less grease. Palty did it all!! The dye did not dry out my hair, in fact, it created this balance such that my hair actually feels smoother and less oily! I look more refreshed partly because my hair is not bogged down with oil, and partly because the red tones in my hair now makes my face look rosier. People who have always used Western off-the-counter hair dyes should try Japanese ones, if not for the quality, at least for the different choices in colors. I bought mine at a Japanese superstore for ~$10.

Speaking of hair, I would really like to try this Brazilian Blowout that is the rave in celebrities right now. Supposedly, it makes your hair smoother and softer, and takes all the frizz out so that you can wash and wear it (read: no need to blowdry your hair after washing). It's about $350 and last about three months. And because of the absence of carcinogenic stuff or formaldehyde, it is less harsh than the Japanese or Brazilian straightening techniques. This is definitely on my list of luxury items to try (with teeth whitening laser and No! No! hair removal)...